On Tuesday afternoon, March 23rd, 2010, something happened at the White House that has never happened before in American history. A sitting President walked out of a meeting with the Prime Minister of one of our closest allies, foregoing the traditional photo-op, press conference, and evening meal together.

After failing to extract a written promise of concessions on settlements, Obama walked out of his meeting with Netanyahu but invited him to stay at the White House, consult with advisers and “let me know if there is anything new”, a U.S. congressman, who spoke to the Prime Minister, said.

On April 27th, I reported that:

US President Barack Obama laid a key plank of his strategy to mend ties with the Islamic world by hosting a summit to boost economic development in Muslim nations.

In a step the White House hopes will help shift relations beyond decades of talk about terrorism and conflict, Obama brought entrepreneurs from 50 countries to Washington for two days to spur economic ties.

The president pledged to host the meeting in a landmark speech in Cairo last June, when he also called for a ‘new beginning’ to relations between the United States and the Muslim world.

Do you see a pattern developing here?

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a little more than a week since Israel’s  May 31 raid on a flotilla hoping to break the blockade on Gaza. Nine men in the flotilla were killed, including eight Turks and a Turkish American. Israel says its soldiers opened fire only after being attacked while the flotilla activists claimed Israel used unnecessary violence after they were attacked with pipes and knives.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been scheduled to visit the White House June 1 but canceled the visit to provide leadership to Israel during the flotilla aftermath.  His visit had to be rescheduled, and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday it could happen by the end of this month.

Meanwhile, yesterday, Scooter called for sharply limiting Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and the White House announced a $400 million aid package for Gaza and the West Bank.

“The situation in Gaza is unsustainable,” Obama said during his scheduled meeting and photo-op with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office.  He said the attention of the world is on the problem because of the “tragedy” of the Israeli raid that killed nine people (who happened to be young men armed with pipes and knives) trying to bring in supplies.

Obama called for severely restricting Israel’s broad blockade on goods entering the Gaza Strip so that arms are kept out, but not items needed for the Palestinians’ daily life and economic development.  Uh huh.

Per Barack Hussein Obama (peace be upon him):

The key here is making sure that Israel’s security needs are met but that the needs of people in Gaza are also met.  So if we can get a new conceptual framework … it seems to me that we should be able to take what has been a tragedy and turn it into an opportunity to create a situation where lives in Gaza are actually, directly improved.

The approach marked a shift in the  U.S. position.  However, it did not meet international calls for an end to the 3-year-old blockade. Israel was forced to create the blockage in order to keep arms away from the barbaric Hamas movement that controls Gaza.  Of course, critics say the blockade is ineffective and causes undue suffering.  Scooter announced that the U.S. would discuss the new approach with European leaders, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Abbas welcomed the $400 million aid package, which is supposed to go for things like creating jobs and improving access to drinking water, but wants further actions against the blockade.  Of course.

The figurehead, whose actually has very little influence in the area, since his forces were routed when Hamas took over in 2007, said:

We also see the need to lift the Israeli siege of the Palestinian people, the need to open all the crossings and the need to let building material and humanitarian material and all the necessities go into the Palestinian people. 

 He and his more moderate Fatah movement hold the West Bank, the other Palestinian territory.

Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, said Israel was open to suggestions that would address the needs of the Palestinian people along with Israel’s security requirements, but he defended the blockade as “essential for not only Israel’s security, Egypt’s security, but it’s essential for the peace process.”

Per Ambassador Oren, letting building materials through the blockade is not a good idea:

We know that Hamas is going to take these materials and not use them to build schools, they’re going to use them to build military bunkers. So we are reluctant to let those things through.

Wednesday’s meeting between Obama and Abbas came as Israel announced it would allow potato chips, cookies, spices and other previously banned food items into the Gaza Strip.

 Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, said the gesture was not worth commenting on.

The Abbas visit had been expected to focus on peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians,a shuttle diplomacy effort now proceeding under the guidance of U.S. envoy George Mitchell.  The U.S. hopes that it will lead to direct talks.

Obama said he anticipated significant progress could be made, despite the uproar over the flotilla raid, if both sides try to ensure a conducive environment.  Obama claimed  that for the Israelis, it means curbing settlement activity and recognizing progress on security on the part of the Palestinians.

Scooter said:

On the Palestinian side, I was very frank with President Abbas that we have to continue to make more progress on both security as well as incitement issues. 

Nudge nudge.  Wink wink.

Abbas responded:

I say in front of you, Mr. President, that we have nothing to do with incitement against Israel, and we’re not doing that.  What we care about is to live in coexistence with Israel in order to bring about the independent Palestinian state that will live side by side with Israel in peace and stability.

Just give us the land belonging to the Joooooos and everything will be okey dokey.

P.J. Crowley, State Department spokesman, said the $400 million aid package represented specific allocations of money that had already been budgeted for the Palestinians, some of it promised by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton last year, when  The Queen of Smart Power! made a $900 million commitment.  Projects announced Wednesday included $240 million for mortgage assistance in the West Bank and $10 million to build five new schools in Gaza. 

Isn’t that…special.

When Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm) was The Democratic candidate for President, newsmax.com supplied us with the following information:

…Obama has numerous donors who have contributed well over the $4,600 federal election limit.

Many of these donors have never been contacted by the Obama campaign to refund the excess amounts to them.

And more than 37,000 Obama donations appear to be conversions of foreign currency.

According to a Newsmax analysis of the Obama campaign data before the latest figures were released, potential foreign currency donations could range anywhere from $12.8 million to a stunning $63 million in all. With the addition of $150 million raised in September, this amount could be much more.

From the time he left that Madrassa, err, Private School for wealthy families in Indonesia, to his 20 years in Trinity Church under Rev. Jeremiah Wright, to his speech in Cairo, Egypt, to this very moment, there has been no doubt as to where this man’s sympathies lie in the Middle East conflict.

They definitely are not with our friend. 

Sources:  dailycaller.com, newsmax.com, drudgereport.com